Einkorn Easter Bread

This slightly sweet Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua), with a hint of citrus, is an Italian tradition. It's formed into loaves or wreaths and decorated with colorful sprinkles and dyed eggs. We love this version with All-Purpose Einkorn Flour, which adds a crisp crust and richness to this already flavorful treat!

Note: We’ve offered a modification to this recipe for more experienced bakers, which will yield a softer crumb but a much stickier dough. Simply leave out an egg white (3 whole eggs plus one egg yolk in the dough). Reserve the extra egg white for the egg wash. If you plan to decorate your loaf with dyed eggs, we’d recommend sticking to the original recipe below.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat together the yeast or starter and warm milk.
2. Add 4 eggs, sugar, and lemon zest, and mix until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt.
4. Add the flour to the egg mixture and with Jovial’s Einkorn Kneading Tool or a stiff spatula, mix the dough until the flour is nearly absorbed. Add the butter and mix to incorporate in the dough.
5. Transfer the dough with the help of a bowl scraper to a work surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about five times. Place the dough back in the bowl and seal tightly with plastic wrap.
6. For yeast bread, let the dough rise for 2 hours. For sourdough bread, let the dough rise for 10 to 15 hours.
7. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Lightly dust your hands and work surface with flour. Divide the dough into three pieces of equal size. Working quickly, fold and roll the pieces of dough into tight ropes that measure about 20-inches long, lifting the dough as you go. Try to maintain an even thickness in each rope. Transfer the ropes to the baking sheet and join the ends farthest away from you. Cross the left strand over the middle, then place the right strand over the new middle strand, and continue braiding until the end. Press the ends closest to you and tuck them under to finish the braid. 
9. For a round loaf, divide the dough into two pieces and roll them out to 30-inch long ropes. Arrange the centers of the strips on top of each other to form an x-shape. Cross them over to braid up to each end of the dough. Coil the braid tightly into a round shape, pressing the end in to seal.
10. Cover the bread tightly with buttered plastic wrap. For yeast bread, let the dough rise for 1 hour. For sourdough bread, let the dough rise for 2 hours.
11. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
12. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg white together with the tablespoon of milk. Brush the bread and decorate with sugar, sprinkles, or slivered almonds. A generous coat of the egg wash will give you a beautiful color and shine.
13. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until deeply golden. Expect a little cracking when the bread expands in the oven, due to einkorn’s lack of elasticity. That’s a good thing, not a problem with shaping on your end.
14. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Note: To convert this recipe to egg rolls for sandwiches, reduce the sugar to ¼ cup (50 g) and do not add lemon zest. Follow the same proofing times, but shape the dough into 16 rolls, then bake for 25 minutes.

Note: For an even softer texture, leave out the added egg white. This dough will be much stickier to work with, but will yield a richer result.